The Most Common Holiday Party Scandals And How to Avoid Them

"I think I got fired because of the holiday party." Every December, without fail, I get the same panicked call. And guess what? It's never because of the open bar. It's always harassment. You see, people forget that the holiday party is still a work event. It doesn't matter if it's at a rooftop bar or a country club, or everyone's wearing sparkles instead of suits. The rules are the same. One joke that crosses the line. One comment about someone's body. One hand on a waist that wasn't invited. Or even a late-night DM after the party. Any of that can qualify as harassment. And here's the part that no one thinks about: if someone complains, your employer is legally required to investigate. And if they decide misconduct happened — termination, suspension, write-ups — everything is on the table. If something happened to you at a work event and you're wondering, "Was that harassment? Was that retaliation?" — call me.